Introducing the free iPad 2 Starter Guide

A fantastic free resource for optimising your iPad use.

So, you’ve braved the weeks of waiting and the long Apple Store lines and finally gotten your hands on a new iPad 2. You've taken your first step into a larger world—now it's time to put your shiny new tablet to work. Start by learning all the iPad 2 basics with Macworld’s new iPad 2 Starter Guide, available for free in the iBookstore.

This latest entry in our popular Superguide series covers everything you need to know to start using your iPad 2. Familiarize yourself with every port, button, and switch on your device with a labeled diagram and descriptions of each. Customize your settings by setting parental controls, changing the behavior of your iPad’s side-switch, and creating a data plan (3G-enabled iPads only). Learn about the many multitouch gestures you’ll be using to open, close, zoom, and swipe on the 9.7-inch LED-backlit screen.

The iPad 2 Starter Guide also provides an overview of each of your device’s pre-installed apps, including Apple’s new Photo Booth and FaceTime apps, and full writeups on Apple’s other iPad apps: iBooks, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, GarageBand, and iMovie. If you’re looking to expand your app collection even further, we’ve written up the easiest ways to buy and download apps from the App Store, and compiled a list of the top 10 third-party apps every new iPad owner should own. Best of all: This book is completely 100 percent free.

To download Macworld’s iPad 2 Starter Guide, click this link on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, or head on over to the iBookstore and search for “iPad 2 Starter Guide.” (Unfortunately, only iOS devices have access to the iBookstore at this time.)

We hope you enjoy it! If you’re hungry for more information on your iPad 2, keep an eye out for our full iPad 2 Superguide, out this spring. Be sure to check out the other books in our popular Superguide series, including the latest on the iPhone and iPod touch, Mac Troubleshooting, Mac Basics, and a collection of the greatest OS X Hints. If you've picked up someone's gently used first generation iPad, you can still get our first iPad Superguide.